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Borba V, Carrera-Bastos P, Zandman-Goddard G, Lucia A, Shoenfeld Y. Prolactin's paradox: Friend, foe, or both in immune regulation? Autoimmun Rev 2024; 23:103643. [PMID: 39306220 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2024] [Revised: 09/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
Over 100 diseases have been recognized as autoimmune in nature, collectively affecting ∼20 % of the population in industrialized countries. These conditions are more prevalent among women of childbearing age, reflecting the potential association between alterations in the immune-neuroendocrine network, on the one hand, and autoimmune conditions, on the other. Prolactin (PRL), a polypeptide hormone that is primarily (but not only) secreted by the lactotrophic cells of the pituitary gland, is a critical element of the immune-neuroendocrine network. Although this hormone has several nonimmune functions, its role in regulating immune responses and affecting autoimmune inflammation is particularly enigmatic and controversial. Indeed, PRL interacts with various immune cells to bolster the body defenses, but also potentially to exacerbate autoimmune conditions. Understanding how and when PRL acts as a 'friend or foe' is crucial for unraveling its role as a potential therapeutic target in the management of autoimmune diseases (AIDs). This review therefore provides a critical overview of PRL's role in the immune system, and of the influence of this pleiotropic hormone in the development of autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vânia Borba
- Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel; Internal Medicine, Rehaklinik Dussnang, Thurgau, Switzerland.
| | - Pedro Carrera-Bastos
- Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gisele Zandman-Goddard
- Department of Medicine C, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel; Department of Rheumatology, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Alejandro Lucia
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Physical Activity and Health Research Group ('PaHerg'), Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre ('imas12'), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yehuda Shoenfeld
- Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel; Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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